SUU to the NFL Draft

Southern Utah University’s Big Sky Champion Thunderbird football squad is represented by three seniors in the annual NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.

The Combine is an opportunity for potential draftees to showcase their skills leading up to the NFL draft at the end of April, and James Cowser, Miles Killebrew and Leshaun Sims will receive thorough appraisals by scouts and decision makers of the league’s 32 teams. Among the trials players will undergo are the 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill and shuttle run.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com has written bios and given pre-Combine grades to each of the players. According to Zierlein, Cowser “has a high-end motor that never stops. When it comes to production, there is nobody better in FCS history than Cowser.”

Killebrew is touted as a “tightly bundled muscle hammer with a compact frame and the thighs of a track sprinter…world-class form tackler with bad intentions behind his strikes.”

Sims, who is a cornerback, is viewed as a “constant annoyance to receivers getting into their framework with jabs from press and then crowding them throughout their route.”

This is the largest group of players SUU has ever sent to the combine, a true testament to the work and dedication the players have put in, according to SUU football head coach Demario Warren.

“Cowser, Sims and Killebrew are high character guys that make your job a lot easier,” Warren said. “They had a plan when they first got to Southern Utah and worked extremely hard and it’s paying off now. I’m very proud to see how they’ve progressed.”

The three players have started to make waves with Killebrew and Sims both being mentioned in NFL.com articles as players to keep an eye on during the Combine. Cowser and Killebrew have been mentioned in several mock drafts that project them being drafted within the first four rounds.

SUU’s three participants are equal to the number coming from the University of Michigan and the University of Texas combined.

The Combine is being broadcast on the NFL Network. For updates on these players, visit our blog.